Tips for improving your performance

Many business owners, small and large, provide performance incentives for their staff, eg annual bonuses, gift vouchers, time in lieu, equity schemes and the like.

But what exactly are you rewarding?

Incentive programs don’t typically reward performance, rather they reward results. Business success demands results. Fair enough, too. But, let’s go back a step.

“Most incentive programs don’t reward performance, they reward results.”

Results are outcomes, eg sales targets, profit, market share, growth, customer satisfaction. They are all business outcomes. In a cause and effect relationship, they are the effect. What then drives results? Performance drives results and is the cause in the relationship. So, what then constitutes performance and how do you measure it?

End Goals v Performance Goals

There are two types of goals. End Goals and Performance Goals.

End Goals are the outcomes or results you achieve from having done something, eg sales, turnover, profit, customer satisfaction. They are measured ex post facto (after the fact) or what are commonly referred to by management consultants as lag indicators.

Performance Goals are the drivers that get you the results, eg sales calls, customer visits, prospects, outbound calls, customer response times. These can be measured in real time and are referred to as lead indicators.

There can be considerable and costly time delays between when a lag indicator is first brought to the attention of a business owner for corrective action. Time means money. Do your performance measures include lead indicators?

Lead indicators are predictive measures of future success. And success is the cumulative effect of doing the little things day-by-day.

“Lead indicators are predictive measures of future success.”

Lead and Lag indicators form an integral part of what Harvard academics, Kaplan and Norton, call a Balanced Scorecard. Many large corporations use Balanced Scorecard measures and increasingly franchisers are too. They are equally applicable to small firms and truly are essential to driving performance to higher levels.

What drives Performance?

If performance drives results then what drives performance? Well, there are two things that drive performance:

1. skills

2. behaviour

What is the difference? A skill is learned knowledge of how to do a task whereas behaviour is a conscious/subconscious response or choice.

Ask yourself; does this person know how to complete the task? Have they ever completed the task beforehand? Have they received skills training? Have they demonstrated competency in the skill? If not, then you may have a skill deficiency that needs addressing through skills training.

On the other hand, if your employee is competent or has the necessary skills but for some reason doesn’t apply them, then you may have a behavioural issue. In which case as the manager/employer it is incumbent upon you to call them on it. Behaviours tend to run in patterns so it is likely that the employee will repeat the behaviour (at work and at home). So, you are really doing them an enormous favour long term.

In essence you bring to their conscious awareness the subconscious (or conscious) choice they have made. It now becomes their conscious choice whether to amend the behaviour or not. Either way hold them responsible for their choice and the resulting consequences.

Try these exercises:

1. Create a Performance based incentive program. Offer staff gift vouchers or lifestyle rewards based on their performance not results. Reward behaviours such as proactivity, attention to detail, customer focus, team work.

2. Ask your staff to benchmark themselves. Empower them to take responsibility for

their own performance. Nurture the talent you have within your reach. If you are self-employed benchmark your sub-contractors/ suppliers.

3. Include a lead indicator in each functional area – Sales & Marketing (customer visits, qualified prospects, customer complaints); Finance (reminder notices, daily cash position); Operations (capacity, occupancy rates); Service Delivery (response times, compliance with packing slips); People (absenteeism, timeliness, overtime).

4. Call an employee/ sub-contractor on a behavioural issue, eg coming late to work, failure to meet a deadline, failure to keep a promise. Give regular and informal praise for good behaviours.

5. Practice asking open questions. What? When? How? Engage your employee’s creative genius. Encourage them to come with solutions and not problems. You’ve got enough on your plate.

Does daylight saving affect your sleeping pattern?

Yes, daylight saving time (DST) can affect sleeping patterns for many people. When clocks are moved forward or backward, it can disrupt the body’s natural circadian rhythm, which regulates the sleep-wake cycle based on light exposure.

Here are some ways DST can impact sleep:

Spring Forward (Losing an Hour): When clocks are set forward in spring, people lose an hour of sleep, which can lead to feeling groggy, tired, and less alert in the days following. The sudden shift can make it harder to fall asleep or wake up at the usual time, as the body takes time to adjust to the new light schedule.

Fall Back (Gaining an Hour): In the fall, clocks are set back an hour, giving people an extra hour of sleep. While this may seem like a bonus, it can still disrupt sleep patterns. Some people find they wake up earlier than usual, which can throw off the routine and cause difficulty adjusting.

Circadian Rhythm Disruption: Since the circadian rhythm is closely tied to natural light, any sudden shift in the time of sunrise and sunset due to DST can cause a temporary misalignment between the internal body clock and the external environment. This disruption can lead to difficulty falling asleep, poorer sleep quality, and daytime fatigue.

Mood and Energy Levels: Sleep disruptions caused by DST can also affect mood, energy, and cognitive performance. The adjustment period can last anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the individual.

For some people, the effects are mild and temporary, while others may find it more challenging to adapt. Maintaining a consistent bedtime, limiting exposure to screens before bed, and getting plenty of natural light during the day can help ease the transition during DST changes.

The 4 Stages of Adrenal Fatigue: A Journey from Stress to Exhaustion

Adrenal fatigue is a condition that progresses through distinct phases as the body struggles to cope with chronic stress. The adrenal glands, which produce cortisol and other hormones that manage stress, can become overwhelmed by prolonged physical, mental, or emotional pressure. Understanding the stages of adrenal fatigue can help in recognizing early signs and preventing the condition from worsening.

Stage 1: Alarm Reaction (Fight or Flight)

In the initial phase, often called the Alarm Reaction, the body’s natural stress response is activated. This stage is characterized by the fight or flight reaction, where stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are released to help the body deal with the immediate stressor.

Symptoms in this stage may include:

Sudden energy bursts to cope with the stressor.
Heightened alertness and focus.
Mild anxiety or irritability.
Insomnia or difficulty winding down after stress.

This stage can be seen as the body’s attempt to maintain balance during stressful events. If the stress is temporary, the body recovers. However, if stress becomes chronic, the body progresses to the next stage.

Stage 2: Resistance (Chronic Stress)

In the Resistance stage, stress becomes long-term, and the adrenal glands continue to produce cortisol at higher levels to keep up with the demand. However, they are starting to struggle.

Common symptoms in this phase include:

Fatigue, especially in the morning and mid-afternoon.
Increased reliance on stimulants like caffeine.
Difficulty recovering from physical exertion or illness.
Anxiety, mood swings, and mild depression.
Digestive issues such as bloating or constipation.

The body begins to lose its ability to function optimally under stress, and the performance of other bodily systems, such as the immune system, starts to decline. Chronic inflammation may develop, and you might feel “wired but tired,” unable to fully relax despite exhaustion.

Stage 3: Adrenal Exhaustion

As the adrenal glands become overworked and can no longer meet the body’s demands, the Adrenal Exhaustion stage sets in. Cortisol production drops significantly, and the body’s stress response starts to fail.

Symptoms of adrenal exhaustion include:

Extreme, ongoing fatigue that doesn’t improve with rest.
Brain fog and difficulty concentrating.
Digestive disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Emotional instability, such as crying for no apparent reason.
Low blood pressure and frequent dizziness.

At this stage, you may find that simple daily tasks become overwhelming. Many people in adrenal exhaustion also experience significant emotional instability, including feelings of impending doom, panic attacks, and depression that may not respond to conventional treatments​

Stage 4: Adrenal Failure (Burnout)

In severe cases, untreated adrenal fatigue can lead to full-blown adrenal burnout, where the body is incapable of producing sufficient cortisol or managing stress effectively. This stage can be life-altering.

Symptoms in this final stage include:

Total inability to cope with stress or perform daily activities.
Severe depression and anxiety.
Muscle weakness and loss of muscle mass.
Chronic infections due to a suppressed immune system.
Collapse of blood sugar regulation, causing hypoglycemia.

At this point, the body’s homeostasis is significantly disrupted, and without intervention, adrenal burnout can contribute to more serious health issues, including autoimmune disorders and thyroid problems​

How to Prevent and Treat Adrenal Fatigue

Adrenal fatigue can be prevented and treated through lifestyle changes that focus on stress management and hormone regulation.

Some strategies include:

Prioritizing rest and sleep to allow the body to recover.
Eating a balanced diet rich in nutrients that support adrenal health, like B vitamins, magnesium, and vitamin C.
Incorporating stress-reducing activities like yoga, meditation, and gentle exercise.
Seeking guidance from a healthcare professional for proper diagnosis and treatment options.

Recognizing the symptoms of adrenal fatigue early can help prevent progression into more severe stages. If you find yourself resonating with these symptoms, consider adjusting your lifestyle and seeking medical advice to support your adrenal health.

This blog post helps explain the progression of adrenal fatigue and how each stage impacts the body differently, offering your readers valuable insights into managing their stress before it escalates.

About the author

Dennis Roberts is a personal coach, small business mentor and founder of CoachPRO – The Coaching Professionals. His work has won critical acclaim in both the academic and business communities.

Visit www.dennisroberts.com.au

What is the most lucrative niche to be a coach?

The most lucrative coaching niches typically cater to high-demand areas where clients are willing to invest significantly in their personal or professional development. Here are a few of the most profitable niches in coaching:

  1. Executive/Leadership Coaching
    • Target Audience: Senior executives, business leaders, and entrepreneurs.
    • Why It’s Lucrative: Organizations and individuals are willing to pay high fees for leadership development and improving business outcomes. It helps leaders enhance their decision-making, communication, and management skills, directly impacting company performance.
  2. Business Coaching
    • Target Audience: Small business owners, startups, and entrepreneurs.
    • Why It’s Lucrative: Business owners seek coaches to help scale, optimize operations, improve marketing, or increase profitability. Business growth is directly tied to financial success, making clients eager to invest.
  3. Career Coaching
    • Target Audience: Mid-level professionals, career changers, and job seekers.
    • Why It’s Lucrative: Professionals aiming for a promotion, career shift, or improved job satisfaction are willing to pay for tailored advice and strategies. Career transitions can mean significant pay increases, making coaching services highly valuable.
  4. Health and Wellness Coaching
    • Target Audience: Individuals seeking to improve physical or mental health.
    • Why It’s Lucrative: With growing awareness around physical and mental well-being, individuals are increasingly investing in health coaches for weight loss, fitness, stress management, and overall wellness.
  5. Life Coaching for High Net-Worth Individuals
    • Target Audience: Wealthy individuals seeking personal fulfillment, balance, or life transformation.
    • Why It’s Lucrative: High-income clients value personalized coaching to help them achieve greater balance, purpose, or personal growth, often paying premium rates for tailored support.
  6. Sales Coaching
    • Target Audience: Sales professionals, teams, and business owners.
    • Why It’s Lucrative: Companies and individuals are willing to pay for sales training that boosts revenue and performance. This niche often involves ongoing contracts with companies.
  7. Relationship/Marriage Coaching
    • Target Audience: Couples and individuals seeking to improve relationships.
    • Why It’s Lucrative: Clients often view relationship success as critical to life satisfaction. The deeply personal nature of this niche can lead to long-term coaching relationships with high fees.
  8. Financial Coaching
    • Target Audience: Individuals wanting to improve their financial health.
    • Why It’s Lucrative: Clients are willing to invest in coaches who can help them manage debt, build wealth, or plan for financial freedom, especially as financial success often leads to improved quality of life.
  9. Mindset and Performance Coaching
    • Target Audience: High achievers such as athletes, executives, and creatives.
    • Why It’s Lucrative: High performers are eager to pay for coaching that helps them overcome mental blocks and reach peak performance. These clients often come from industries where performance equates to financial gain.

Each of these niches appeals to clients with a high willingness to invest in coaching services, providing an opportunity for coaches to charge premium fees based on the value they provide.

About the author

Dennis Roberts is a personal coach, small business mentor and founder of CoachPRO – The Coaching Professionals. His work has won critical acclaim in both the academic and business communities.

Visit www.dennisroberts.com.au

Why is a midlife crisis such a powerful trigger for change?

A midlife crisis is a powerful trigger for change because it often represents a period of intense self-reflection, where individuals reassess their life choices, accomplishments, and the trajectory of their future.

Several factors contribute to this:

Awareness of Mortality: As people reach middle age, they become more conscious of their mortality, realizing that their time is finite. This realization can lead to a sense of urgency to make meaningful changes before it’s too late.

Unmet Expectations: By midlife, many people have established careers, relationships, and lifestyles that may no longer align with their core values or dreams. Discontent with where they are compared to where they thought they’d be can push them to re-evaluate their priorities.

Shifts in Identity: Life transitions, such as children leaving home, relationship changes, or career shifts, often occur in midlife. These changes can unsettle a person’s sense of identity, prompting them to seek new roles or passions to regain a sense of purpose.

Emotional and Psychological Imbalance: Feelings of dissatisfaction, regret, or a lack of fulfillment can surface during midlife, compelling individuals to address these emotions. This emotional turbulence can act as a catalyst for personal growth and transformation.

Desire for Authenticity: As people age, they may feel more inclined to live authentically, pursuing what genuinely makes them happy rather than conforming to societal or external expectations. This drive for authenticity can lead to significant life changes.

In essence, a midlife crisis acts as a powerful moment of reckoning, often encouraging people to realign their lives with their deeper aspirations, leading to positive personal growth.

About the author

Dennis Roberts is a personal coach, small business mentor and founder of CoachPRO – The Coaching Professionals. His work has won critical acclaim in both the academic and business communities.

Visit www.coachpro.com.au

What are the primary benefits of a 360 diagnostic questionnaire?

A 360-degree diagnostic questionnaire, commonly used in leadership development and performance management, offers several benefits for individuals and organizations:

Comprehensive Feedback: It gathers input from multiple perspectives, including supervisors, peers, subordinates, and sometimes external stakeholders, providing a well-rounded view of an individual’s strengths and areas for improvement.

Increased Self-Awareness: By comparing self-assessment with others’ feedback, individuals can identify blind spots and better understand how their behavior and skills are perceived.

Personal Development: The results highlight specific areas where individuals can improve, making it easier to tailor development plans to their actual needs.

Enhanced Communication: Engaging in a 360-degree review process fosters open dialogue and trust between team members, improving overall workplace communication.

Improved Leadership and Team Dynamics: Leaders can become more effective when they understand how their actions impact others. Team dynamics improve when individuals work on feedback that promotes collaboration.

Objective Performance Review: Since feedback is sourced from various levels, it provides a more objective and balanced assessment compared to traditional top-down reviews.

Motivation and Engagement: Constructive feedback helps employees feel valued and understood, often leading to higher motivation and engagement when they know their input is considered.

Overall, a 360-degree diagnostic questionnaire can promote a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging personal growth and enhancing organizational performance.

About the author
Dennis Roberts is a personal coach, small business mentor and founder of CoachPRO – The Coaching Professionals. His work has won critical acclaim in both the academic and business communities.

Visit www.coachpro.com.au

Is it time for a digital detox?

A digital detox involves taking a break from digital devices and technology to reduce stress, improve focus, and reconnect with the offline world. Here’s a guide to help you effectively manage a digital detox:

1. Set Clear Goals

  • Define your purpose: Are you looking to reduce screen time, improve mental health, or focus on relationships? Knowing your “why” makes the detox more intentional.
  • Decide on duration: Choose a specific time frame, such as a weekend, week, or month.

2. Plan Your Detox

  • Identify problem areas: Note which devices or apps consume the most time (e.g., social media, news sites, games).
  • Set boundaries: Decide when and where you’ll use digital devices. For example, no phones at meals or after 8 p.m.
  • Schedule tech-free activities: Replace screen time with hobbies, exercise, or nature walks.

3. Gradual Disconnect

  • Start small: Begin with short periods of disconnection, like 1 hour per day or a screen-free evening, and gradually extend the duration.
  • Turn off non-essential notifications: Disable alerts for social media, news apps, or anything that’s not urgent.

4. Create Tech-Free Zones

  • Physical spaces: Make areas of your home, such as the bedroom or dining room, tech-free zones.
  • Work boundaries: Limit after-hours work emails or set an auto-response during off-hours.

5. Find Alternatives

  • Replace scrolling: Carry a book, notebook, or activity to engage in when you would typically reach for your phone.
  • Engage offline: Prioritize face-to-face conversations or outdoor activities.

6. Use Technology to Help

  • Time-tracking apps: Use apps like “Screen Time” (iOS) or “Digital Wellbeing” (Android) to monitor your device use and set limits.
  • Block distracting apps: Apps like “Freedom” or “Offtime” can block access to websites and apps during your detox.

7. Involve Others

  • Social support: Share your detox goals with friends or family to make it a joint effort. This helps with accountability.
  • Communicate boundaries: Let people know you’ll be less available, so they understand why you might not respond immediately.

8. Reflect and Adjust

  • Track benefits: After the detox period, reflect on how you feel mentally and physically.
  • Reintegrate mindfully: When reintroducing digital devices, establish healthier long-term habits like scheduled screen breaks or intentional use of apps.

By balancing mindful use of technology with time away from screens, a digital detox can help you recharge and reconnect with what matters most offline.

About the author

Dennis Roberts is a personal coach, small business mentor and founder of CoachPRO – The Coaching Professionals. His work has won critical acclaim in both the academic and business communities.
Visit www.coachpro.com.au

The five secrets to active listening

The five secrets to active listening are often regarded as essential skills to truly engage with and understand others during communication. Here’s a breakdown:

  1. Pay Full Attention: Give the speaker your undivided focus. This means eliminating distractions (e.g., phones, multitasking) and maintaining eye contact to show you’re fully present. It helps convey that you value what the speaker is saying.
  2. Reflect Back What You’ve Heard: Paraphrasing or summarizing what the speaker has said shows that you understand their message. You can use phrases like, “So what you’re saying is…” or “It sounds like you’re feeling…” This confirms understanding and clarifies any potential confusion.
  3. Avoid Interrupting: Let the speaker express themselves fully without cutting them off. Interruptions can signal that you’re more focused on your response than their message. Practice patience, and allow the speaker to complete their thought.
  4. Show Empathy: Respond not just to the words, but to the emotions behind them. Acknowledge the speaker’s feelings, and validate their perspective, even if you don’t agree with it. Phrases like “I can understand why you feel that way” can help create connection and trust.
  5. Ask Open-Ended Questions: Encourage deeper conversation by asking questions that invite elaboration. Instead of yes/no questions, ask “How did that make you feel?” or “What do you think about…?” This shows curiosity and engagement in what the speaker is saying.

These practices enhance connection, build trust, and foster better communication in personal and professional settings.

About the author

Dennis Roberts is a personal coach, small business mentor and founder of CoachPRO – The Coaching Professionals. His work has won critical acclaim in both the academic and business communities. Visit www.coachpro.com.au

The keys to improving your performance

When your financial rewards are performance based, you are confronted with a major challenge – How do you lift and sustain your performance levels?

As a real estate professional, you have to contend with  variables such as increasing competition for listings, margin squeeze, unrealistic reserve prices and mounting pressure to work around the clock and more. Yet, whilst they are valid concerns these issues are business issues and not true performance issues.

End Goals v Performance Goals

When setting goals many miss the fundamental distinction between End Goals and Performance Goals.

End Goals are the outcomes or results you achieve from doing something, for example sales turnover, commission fees, clearance rates, profit margin are all End Goals. They are measured ex post facto (after the fact). They are also known as lag indicators. End Goals are the rewards or the carrots that motivate you to achieve them.

Performance Goals, on the other hand, are the drivers that get you the results. For example,  property listings, outbound calls, open days, number of prospects, word or mouth referrals. This is where the hard yards are done. Your performance incentive schemes must incorporate these measures to encourage the right behaviour. Measurement of these lead indicators will give you predictive measures of future success. Success is the cumulative effect of doing the little things day-by-day.

“Performance Goals are the cause,
End Goals are the effect.”

Lead and Lag indicators form an integral part of what Harvard academics, Kaplan and Norton, call a Balanced Scorecard. Many of the larger real estate franchise groups use Balanced Scorecard measures, as do large corporations. They are equally applicable to small firms and are essential to driving performance to higher levels.

What drives Performance?

So, if performance drives results, what drives performance?

Two things drive performance:
– Skill (the learned knowledge of how to do a task), and
– Behaviour (the making of a conscious/subconscious choice)

To determine which you are dealing with ask yourself the question – Does this person know how or what to do? If the answer is yes, then as they have the skill and it’s likely to be a behavioural issue. If they answer no, then a training solution may be appropriate. With a well-trained sales professional I’d be betting on behaviours most of the time.

Behaviour is about choice. Given the circumstances, what choice did you make? Ok, so sometimes you make a good choice and sometimes you don’t. I’ll leave it for you to judge what is good and bad. In the process consider:

  1. Did I make a conscious choice? and
  2. Do I accept the consequences of my choices?

The one unescapable fact of life is that you will make mistakes and that’s ok. Just learn your lessons and don’t make them twice! Having said that, there does come a time where if you have a performer that just doesn’t cut it, then this is a great model to manage a poor performer.

I’ll assume you know what it takes to be successful. So, we have the skills. Let’s explore your behaviour. Aha, let me get this clear, you know what you need to do but you didn’t do it? Houston, we have a problem! What we may have here is a self-defeating behaviour. Short of surgical removing your frontal lobes what I’d suggest is that we explore what choice you made. By merely raising it to your conscious awareness we now empower you to, you guessed it, make a choice.

The Secrets to my Success

We enact our behaviour. Often we do so subconsciously. That’s why I emphasise making conscious choices to start. Most of us can relate to making the same mistakes. You know the one – the negative patterns we fall for over and over again. We repeat these behaviours because we have relegated them into our subconscious – the realm of our autopilot.

Yes, behaviours do run in patterns because you have essentially programmed them into your subconscious.

Now, for the good news!

These behavioural patterns apply to your positive behaviours too! You have your own unique DNA formula for your successes in life. Just as you repeat the same negative behaviours that cause you dysfunctional, the opposite is also true. You repeat your successful choices, as subconscious patterns,  too.

Isn’t it about time you balanced the ledger and paid attention to the good decisions you are making? If you can unlock and understand what works for you, imagine what you may begin to achieve in your life. You can have anything.

I encourage you to read up on Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) for it is the study of how to unlock your patterns of success. It is the basis of Anthony Robbins works a well as most personal development gurus. It is a must read topic.

Most business coaches rely upon a key principal of performance measurement. And to let you in on there secret, here it is:

“The very act of measuring something focuses
your energy and attention on it. You cannot help
but improve your performance.”

When you have clearly set goals, objective performance measures, regular performance reviews and take consistent actions to towards your goals you have an empowered model for sustainable performance improvement.

I’ll leave with these words of wisdom – if you accept that the universal Law of Abundance does prevail and you can have anything you want, there is really only one question to ask yourself – what do you want?

About the author

Dennis Roberts is a personal coach, small business mentor and founder of CoachPRO – The Coaching Professionals. His work has won critical acclaim in both the academic and business communities. Visit www.coachpro.com.au

The give and take of rejection

Why is it that one tiny word, “No”, can evoke so much fear into the hearts and minds of so many? Part of everyday life as a sales professional requires you to handle rejection day in and day out. How well do you cope? What can you do to more effectively handle rejection?

First up, let’s explore what it is that is being rejected. 

Personality
Rejection, or criticism, of you is aimed at your personality or ego. There is no escaping it and can leave you deflated at best or demoralised at worst. Character assassinations of this type are not constructive for the soul.

Behaviour
Your behaviour is one step removed from your ego self. It reflects a choice that you made in the circumstances at a point in time. Hey, we all make mistakes (or bad choices), so you have the capacity to learn from them and make alternate choices. In coaching I ask my clients only two things, make conscious choices and accept the consequence of those choices. 

As a rule of thumb criticise the behaviour not the person.

Relationship Selling
There are two approaches to selling – relationship selling and transactional selling. If you adopt the former then rejection may only be a temporary setback. The relationship remains intact and you have the opportunity to re-group and re-engage.

Transactional Selling
If your approach is transactional then rejection may signal ‘game over’. Unfortunately this is the approach used in many sales transactions and certainly in cold calling approaches. 

Your objective should be to reframe the “No” into “No, not at this time”. This gives you a re-entry point and time to assess where your strategy failed. Always work with the mindset that “failure is feedback” and ask your prospect “What could have I done differently to win your business?” or “What would it take to win the deal?”

This is priceless because your prospect is now giving you the reason why. It may highlight the very objection where you lost out and present an opportunity to close the objection.

Emotion
Make no mistake rejection is as difficult for the person saying “No” as it is for you to hear it. Why? Because many mistake what they are rejecting and get caught up in their own discomfort in conveying it. 

Rejection evokes emotion – yours and theirs. 

Coming back to relationship selling, if you have nurtured the relationship and given generously of your time, knowledge, ideas, and attention then your prospect will feel a sense of indebtedness to you. Note, indebtedness is a feeling, not a logical thought.

Most decisions are made emotionally and justified rationally.

The universal Law of Reciprocity applies here. When you do things for someone they feel a growing sense of indebtedness or loyalty to do something in return, hopefully the transaction or even a referral.

Logic
Sometimes your proposal will be rejected for logical reasons, eg better offer, cheaper price, more window space, better location, more passers-by and so on.

Once again learn from your mistakes, refine your skills or change your behaviour and re-engage.

Words & Action
If you don’t walk your talk then you may expect rejection. Of all communications only 7% relates to the words being said. The majority, 93% relates to your body language and tone of voice.

Walk your talk or risk losing the business.

Success Tips
What can you do to better handle rejection in its many forms? Try these:

1. Detach from your emotions. Remember that most rejection is not personal. Take the opportunity to ask for feedback and learn your lessons. Tip: Don’t give feedback on feedback.

2. Shift to relationship selling mode. Even if the relationship is a brief one show that you care. That’s what service delivery is all about.

3. Respect your customer’s decision. Even it defies logic remember that most decisions are illogical anyway. Having said that work it to your advantage. Practice reading emotions and body language.

There are only two rules of selling:
No.1 The customer is always right, and 
No. 2 Re-read rule No. 1

4. Focus on being of service. This is where you deliver the added value, which justifies your price premium. Too many salespeople find themselves competing on price. Find and deliver the value.

5. Treat doing business and the human interaction that comes with it as a game. Have some fun with it. Emotions (the trigger for most decisions) are a form of energy and the easiest energy to share is humour and fun. So, there you have it. Who would have thought that being rejected could end up so much fun?

About the author

Dennis Roberts is a personal coach, small business mentor and founder of CoachPRO – The Coaching Professionals. His work has won critical acclaim in both the academic and business communities. Visit www.coachpro.com.au